Dries Van Noten Is Stepping Down, H&M Picks Rokh As Next Collaborator, Nicole Kidman For ELLE, And More!

Dries Van Noten exits his namesake brand It’s truly the end of an era. The beloved Dries Van Noten has…

Dries Van Noten Is Stepping Down, H&M Picks Rokh As Next Collaborator, Nicole Kidman For ELLE, And More!

Dries Van Noten exits his namesake brand

It’s truly the end of an era. The beloved Dries Van Noten has announced he’s stepping down from his label after an impactful 38 years. The illustrious Belgian designer, 65, shared the news in a heartfelt letter to the fashion community which was circulated today. The exit will take effect this summer, with his upcoming Spring Summer ’25 menswear show in June set to be his last collection. Van Noten’s decision was rooted in a desire for a new chapter, as he expressed in his letter: “I’m sad, but at the same time happy, to let you know that I will step down… I feel it’s time to leave room for a new generation of talents.” Emphasizing continuity and growth, Van Noten remains optimistic about the brand’s future and ensures fans that he will still be somewhat “involved” for the foreseeable. “The brand is now blooming… like in a garden, you decide what to plant; and at some point, it continues to flourish,” he poignantly stated. An undeniably influential as a designer in his own right and alongside ‘The Antwerp Six’ avant garde creatives (with Walter Van Beirendonck, Ann Demeulemeester, Dirk Van Saene, Dirk Bikkembergs, and Marina Yee) in the mid-late 1980s, Van Noten sold a majority stake in his company to Spanish fashion and fragrance conglomerate Puig in 2018. A search for a successor is underway and will be revealed in due course.